WASHINGTON, D.C., March 28, 2025 (UPI) — President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to restore “truth and sanity to American history” by directing the Smithsonian to eliminate “divisive” and “anti-American ideology” from its museums.
The executive order is the latest move by Trump to remove so-called liberal ideas and representations from federal government institutions and is expected to attract strong condemnation from critics, opponents and educators.
“Let me be PERFECTLY clear — you cannot erase our past and you cannot stop us from fulfilling our future,” Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, said on X, accusing Trump of trying to remove diversity “from our history.”
The Smithsonian Institution has 21 museums, 14 education and research centers and the National Zoo, making it the largest museum, education and research complex in the world, according to its website. It was founded in 1846 with the purpose of increasing and spreading knowledge.
The executive order states that the Smithsonian Institution in recent years has “come under the influence of a divisive, race-centered ideology” that has “promoted narratives that portray American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive.”
It directs Vice President JD Vance, who serves on the Smithsonian Board of Regents, to work to eliminate those policies and “improper ideology” from the institution’s facilities.
Federal funding will be withheld from exhibits or programs that promote such ideologies, including those in the American Women’s History Museum that recognize achievements by trans women.
Exhibits affected are those that present America’s history as “inherently racist, sexist, oppressive or otherwise irredeemably flawed.”
As an example, the order pointed to “The Shape of Power: Stories of Race and American Sculpture,” currently on display at the Smithsonian American Art Museum until Sept. 14.
According to the executive order, the exhibition promotes the idea that race is not a biological reality but a social construct and asserts that societies, including the United States, “have used race to establish and maintain systems of power, privilege and disenfranchisement.”
The exhibition’s website states it consists of 82 sculpture created between 1792 and 2023, allowing “for juxtapositions of historical and contemporary works that invite dialogue and reflection on notions of power and identity.”
UPI has asked the Smithsonian Institute for comment.
During his two months in office, Trump has repeatedly used his executive powers to overhaul cultural norms in the federal government, attacking diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and programs. The president also appointed himself chairman of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, which has led to several artists cutting ties with the institution and the cancellation of multiple shows.
